What happened: The Midland County Commissioners Court met on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and revisited a previously denied request involving an evidence technicians’ vehicle, approved a voter registration system upgrade, received updates on fleet maintenance after switching vendors, and heard a detailed year-end performance report from the Horseshoe Arena.

Key points:

  • Evidence technicians’ vehicle: Commissioners approved Sheriff David Criner’s request to keep an existing county-owned vehicle for two evidence technicians who currently use their personal cars for work-related duties. The item returns after a 3–2 vote earlier this month rejected the request, with Commissioners Charles Hall, Steven Villela, and Dianne Anderson voting no.

District Attorney Glenn Harwood weighed in, telling commissioners there was no scenario where technicians should transport evidence in their personal vehicles. “There’s not a world where that’s a workable solution,” Harwood said.

  • Voter registration: The court approved a proposal to move from the state’s voter registration system to VoterFocus, which county staff described as more functional and similar to systems previously used locally. Staff said the outdated state system limits their ability to complete required tasks efficiently.

The proposed cost is $185,996 for the first year, with an ongoing annual cost of $37,617. The Elections Office did not budget for the expense. Staff said they could not implement the system before the March primary election, meaning the county would continue using the state system for that election.

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  • Fleet maintenance: Commissioners received an update on fleet operations following the county’s switch from Vector Fleet to Sewell Fleet Management. Officials reported faster turnaround times for routine maintenance such as oil changes, batteries, and tires, often completed in under an hour and at roughly one-third of the previous cost.

Most feedback from departments has been positive, particularly within the Sheriff’s Office. However, staff said Road and Bridge equipment repairs are still taking too long, prompting closer monitoring. Judge Terry Johnson emphasized that equipment sitting idle costs the county money and said staff should continue pushing the contractor on response times.

  • Horseshoe Arena: The court received a year-end report on the Horseshoe Arena. In total, the facility executed 231 events, resulting in 475 booked event days, and welcomed more than 214,000 attendees. Realized revenue totaled just under $847,000, including contract revenue and additional item sales.

The Horseshoe could have generated an additional $415,000, largely due to $233,000 in county-granted fee rebates and $182,000 in lost rentals from the 46 days the facility was closed during the roof replacement project. Leadership said the Pavilion is booked nearly every weekend through mid-2027.